‘WE’RE a very small business that is playing a part in some very big moments,’ MaryRose Shanahan proudly says, just days after she worked with the Republic of Ireland’s women’s team.

It was another pinch-me moment for the Leap woman.

Ahead of Ireland’s recent 4-0 second-leg win against Kazakhstan in the UEFA Women’s World Cup qualifying play-offs at Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Shanahan was asked to help the Irish players in their recovery after the opening leg away from home and then the long-haul journey home.

It was the latest evidence that her award-winning mobile sports recovery business, Wild Atlantic Recovery, is making waves.

‘I’ve been very lucky to get the opportunity to work with teams that are staying in Fota Island Resort,’ Shanahan says.

‘When the Republic of Ireland team were coming back from their trip from Kazakhstan and preparing for their game at Páirc Uí Chaoimh, they stayed at Fota Island. So, I was asked to look after the recovery for them.

‘I provided the mobile wood-fired sauna and the cold plunges to help them recover from their long trip home, and get them ready for their second game against Kazakhstan.’

MaryRose Shanahan at Páirc Uí Chaoimh for Ireland's game against Kazakhstan.

After working with the Cork senior hurling and football teams this season, this was another step in the right direction for Shanahan and Wild Atlantic Recovery.

She brought the idea to life after suffering her second ACL injury in August 2024. Shanahan wanted to share her knowledge of injury prevention and recovery, leading to the creation of her mobile sports recovery business.

Two years on, it’s going from strength to strength. Shanahan hit local headlines when she won the Young Business Person of the Year award at the 2025 West Cork Business & Tourism Awards.

So, what’s the science behind her mobile wood-fired sauna and the cold plunges?

‘It’s the hot and the cold,’ Shanahan explains.

‘The sauna is the hot. The hot opens the blood vessels and that’s what increases the blood flow, pumps the blood all around the body, gets the recovery going. But then with the hot, you need the cold. So, cold closes the blood vessels, which is great for inflammation and muscle soreness.

‘The two of them work together, the hot and the cold, to get that pumping action going and move the blood around the body.

‘For the Irish women’s team, they were coming back from a long-haul flight. The legs might have been a bit swollen, they might have had a bit of jet lag, they might have been tired. They need to get the body fully recovered to be able to give 100 percent on the pitch – that’s exactly what the contrast session does.

‘Obviously, you have the physical benefits, but you also have the mental benefits. You know, when the players go into the sauna, they’re doing their contrast therapy session together, it’s team bonding, they’re able to relax.

‘We all know how serious it is when the players get onto the pitch, but when they’re off the pitch, I think that people are starting to see how important the one percenters are. Teams don’t want to leave any stone unturned. People are starting to see the importance of recovery. It’s what separates the good from the best.’

Wild Atlantic Recovery's mobile wood-fired sauna.

The beauty of Wild Atlantic Recovery is that Shanahan brings her mobile sports recovery set-up to clubs and teams, rather than expecting them to travel to her. As a people person herself, she loves the variety her business brings, working with everyone from underage players to senior and elite athletes.

Her passion and desire to help people feel their best has seen the Leap woman make big strides.

‘At the end of the day, we’re a very small business, but we’re a very small business that is playing a part in some very big moments,’ she says.

‘I think what makes it extra special is the fact that I’ve grown from just working with local junior A GAA clubs to working with the Cork senior hurlers to working with the Lions Rugby Charity team, to now working with our first Irish team. It’s an absolute honour.

‘I always come back to the fact that we’re a very small business with our roots very much in West Cork.

‘I pinch myself every day to think that I’m able to play a part in these big moments. So, it’s extra special.’